Tents in the city

The national homeless crisis has led to a rise in the number of people living in tents, locally and across the country. 

Today the Guardian reported on this sad national trend. 

The Guardian reported that in Brighton & Hove we charge people rough sleeping “£25 for a confiscated tent”. This is not the case and the Guardian was given the full information before publishing. 

Visitors camping

The way we deal with tents in the city reflects that there is a range of reasons for people camping illegally. As a tourist destination, people often pitch up on the beach in the summer months rather than paying for official campsites.

We do all they can to prevent people from camping in places which are unsafe for themselves or others using the area.

No charge for rough sleepers

The £25 charge is for storage of tents that are removed after notice has been given that they’re pitched where camping is not allowed. The storage fee is designed as a deterrent to stop people camping in the city. Tents are usually removed when they’ve been abandoned. The storage fee is waived for anyone who is homeless or sleeping rough.  Only two people have claimed their tents back from storage and neither was charged due to their circumstances.

When we know people are rough sleeping, we aim never to take their tents away. Our outreach workers work to move people away from the streets by providing support about better alternatives. Outreach workers are not in any way involved with enforcement. 

Working with partners

Sometimes we do have to remove tents, particularly after reports of anti-social behaviour including illegal behaviour which has been reported to the police. When this happens, we follow a clear set of guidelines that have been agreed with the police and other agencies.